Ever heard the phrase "Back to square one"?

Let's say a citizen needs to obtain a criminal record certificate for a legal procedure. Their journey begins at the local police station, where they're informed to head to the Civil Registry to kick off the process. Upon arrival, they're greeted by a lengthy queue of people waiting to be attended to. After waiting for fifteen minutes, it's finally their turn, only to be told they need to complete a specific form only available at a nearby post office. After another wait and additional expense for the form, they return to the civil registry to discover they've forgotten to bring a copy of their ID document. Once again, they head to a nearby copy shop, where they wait yet again to obtain a copy of the document. Estimated total time: between two and three days.

Well, this experience highlights the need to simplify and streamline procedures through digitization and the use of digital certificates. Implementing digital certificates speeds up processes and strengthens security and trust in electronic transactions, crucial aspects in today's world

What is a Digital Certificate?

Understanding exactly what a digital certificate is and why it's important for businesses is key. Simply put, a digital certificate is an electronic file used to verify the identity of a person or entity online. It serves as a digital credential that enables secure transactions and electronic document signing. It proves who you are on the internet and can be reviewed by trusted individuals, such as the authorities who issued it. Using digital certificates is crucial to keeping a company's operations secure.

Digital certificates are used to verify the identity of the parties involved in an electronic transaction. Imagine you're buying something online, let's say a book, from a very popular website. When you make the payment, the website uses a digital certificate to confirm that you're really dealing with them and not an impostor. This certificate also encrypts your payment information, such as your credit card number, so that only the seller can see it and protect it from hackers. This way, you can be sure your transaction is secure, and your personal data is protected.

Who issues these certificates?

Digital certificates are issued by trusted third parties called Certificate Authorities (CAs). Here are some important things you should know about trusted certificates:

• They are issued by reliable third-party organizations, called Certificate Authorities (CAs), that verify the identity of website owners and confirm that they are authentic and secure.
• They use a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to encrypt data. Basically, this involves using two types of keys: a public one that is shared to encrypt data and a private one that the site owner keeps secret to decrypt it.
• Users can verify the authenticity of these certificates by looking for a padlock icon in the browser's address bar, indicating that the website has a valid certificate.
• They are very useful for ensuring security in various online activities, from shopping to banking.

They are essential for maintaining users' trust in online security. Without them, we would be exposed to possible information theft by hackers

Importance of Digital Certificates for businesses

Digital certificates help protect important information and ensure that transactions on the internet are authentic and secure. Companies use them for many things, from verifying who is accessing their systems to digitally signing contracts. They are also crucial for ensuring that online communications are private and secure, through secure SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) connections. In simple terms, SSL/TLS is a technology that protects information travelling over the internet. Imagine you're sending a message to someone, SSL/TLS would be like putting that message inside a closed and sealed box before sending it. This ensures that no one else can open the box and read the message while it travels over the network.

Types of Digital Certificates

To choose the right digital certificate for your company, it's important to understand the different types available and how they are used. Some of the most common ones are:

• SSL/TLS Certificates: Used to protect communication between a website and a browser, ensuring that online transactions are secure and transmitted information is protected.
• Digital signature certificates: Used to verify the authenticity of documents and electronic signatures, ensuring that the information is legitimate, and the involved parties are who they claim to be.
• Email certificates: Protect the confidentiality of emails and ensure they come from legitimate sources by encrypting and authenticating messages.
• Client authentication certificates: Allow users to authenticate themselves on online platforms, ensuring that only authorized users access specific services.
• Code signing certificates: Used in software development to ensure that the source code is authentic and has not been altered without authorization, thus ensuring the security and integrity of the software.

Legal requirements in Spain

When it comes to digital certificates in Spain and their legal validity, two key pieces of legislation come into play. On the one hand, Law 59/2003, on Electronic Signature, establishes the legal framework for the use of electronic signatures and digital certificates in the country, granting them validity and equating them often to handwritten signatures. On the other hand, Regulation (EU) 910/2014, also known as eIDAS, is a European regulation that provides a legal framework for electronic identification and trust services across the European Union, facilitating mutual recognition of electronic identifications among Member States. These laws are essential to ensuring the validity and security of electronic transactions in Spain and in the European context. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the digital certificates used comply with current regulations and are issued by recognized certifying authorities.

Factors to consider when choosing a Digital Certificate

When selecting a digital certificate for your company, there are several key factors to consider, ensuring that it meets your specific needs and objectives. Some of the most important factors to consider include:

• Security level: Make sure the certificate offers a high level of security with a good encryption algorithm and a robust key.
• Compatibility: Verify that the certificate is compatible with your existing systems and applications.
• Technical support: Consider the availability of technical support in case of issues or queries. For example, a provider that offers 24-hour assistance or an online platform with detailed documentation and step-by-step tutorials to solve common problems.
• Cost: Analyse the total cost, including issuance, renewal, and maintenance, of the certificate. For example, a provider may offer a digital certificate at a very low initial price, but then charge high fees for annual renewals or additional services such as technical support.
• Ease of implementation: Evaluate how easy it is to implement the certificate in your systems and business processes. For example, a provider that offers intuitive tools and detailed implementation guides will greatly facilitate the process of integrating the certificate into your existing infrastructure.
• Provider reputation: When choosing among several digital certificate providers, one might seem particularly attractive due to its competitive prices. However, further research reveals a dubious reputation regarding compliance with security regulations and the quality of its solutions.

Implementation process

• Key generation: It's time to create a pair of public and private keys for your certificate. These keys are important because they are used to protecting information during online transactions.
• Certificate request and issuance: Now it's time to request your digital certificate from the provider. You will be asked to complete an identity verification process, and once everything is in order, they will provide you with the necessary files to install it.
• Certificate configuration: Here comes the practical step: install and configure the certificate on your systems and applications, following the provider's instructions. It's crucial to follow each step carefully to avoid security issues.

• Testing and validation: Before diving in fully, ensure that everything works as it should. Test your certificate for electronically signing documents, establishing secure connections, and sending encrypted emails.

• Monitoring and maintenance: Lastly, don't forget to monitor your certificate regularly. Keep it up to date, renew it as needed, and keep track of expiration dates to avoid any surprises.

We've already discussed the numerous benefits of using digital certificates, but what happens if a company chooses not to use them?

Here are some significant risks to consider:

1. Security vulnerabilities: Without digital certificates, systems may be exposed to errors in installed certificates, which could leave doors open to security vulnerabilities and potential service interruptions.
2. Cybersecurity risks: The lack of use of trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs) can facilitate man-in-the-middle attacks, phishing, and unauthorized access, compromising website security and customer information.
3. Compliance issues: The absence of digital certificates can lead to non-compliance with industry regulations and security standards, which could have serious legal consequences and damage the company's reputation
4. Data breaches: Without digital certificates, a company's sensitive data may be exposed to interception by cybercriminals, resulting in unauthorized access, data breaches, and significant financial losses.
5. Inefficiency and costs: Manual certificate management can be cumbersome, error-prone, and costly, resulting in delays in service implementation, increased downtime, and weakened overall security.
6. Lack of trust and brand damage: Omitting digital certificates can undermine customer trust and damage the company's reputation, especially if security incidents or data breaches occur that could have been prevented with the proper use of digital certificates

In summary, choosing the best digital certificate for your company in Spain is a strategic decision that requires attention to detail and an in-depth understanding of your business needs.

For more information on digital certificates and their implementation, we invite you to check out this link.

Latinpay is a financial services company providing payments to micro and small businesses in Peru. Latinpay accomplishes its mission by giving its customers the option to get paid quickly and easily through mobile banking, avoiding investment in expensive equipment or tedious implementation time and effort.

Julio Mejías, CEO of Latinpay, gives us insight into his experience with Lleida.net Registered Email and its benefits to the company.

https://youtu.be/OlnJkqxd73k

Challenges leading up to Registered Email

How was your workflow organised before implementing Registered Email?

Before using Registered Email, we did not have a way of proving that it had indeed been delivered to an email address, and, especially, we lacked reliable proof of it.

This could only be achieved by notarial means, but it was very time-consuming...

So what solution were you looking for?

We were looking for a simple workflow notification solution. The notification itself might be physical or virtual, although it had to provide us with legal standing as required.

Implementing Registered Email

Once you started using registered email, which processes changed?

After implementing Registered email service, we no longer have to send physical notifications, the process changed within the company, everything is online, saving us much time, and, most of all, the documentary evidence can be stored for a long time.

Is there anything you like the most about Registered Email?

Basically, its simplicity! 

You have to send a copy to the certifying email, and that's it; no need to take many actions or install extensions... 

Quite simple.

Streamline processes, reducing time and costs

When did you begin to get results?

Yes, it provided us with quick results and met our expectations, as the document includes almost everything we need and demonstrates that we did do our due diligence.

To what extent has Registered email helped you?

Essentially it has helped us to simplify the processes.

We used to have to carry out this process manually. It has simplified our time and processes enormously.

We achieved specific results, namely time and cost reduction. 

Costs have been cut up to 80% 

And as for usability, our staff is far more confident. There is no need to edit the email or get a copy of the printed document, stamp it, sign it, move from one signing to another, etc.

And it makes our lives so much simpler!

With the Registered Mail service, we CC the Registered Email, and that's it; there is nothing else to do!

There is evidence that we carried out proper due diligence, and in the event of any contingency, we have the means to meet that contingency.

Would you recommend Registered Email?

Yes, I would. I would recommend it to companies from all sectors looking to simplify notification processes. Businesses looking to save paper and, above all, to ensure that notifications are legally valid.

Suntropy is a technology startup founded in 2021 to support solar energy companies in delivering a digital sales experience to their customers. Their primary focus within the sector is to provide technical and economic feasibility analysis for solar energy projects in residential and industrial areas agilely.

Thanks to Lleida.net, they have been able to automate the process of generating the document to be signed. By leveraging their platform and Click & Sign, Suntropy can digitize the entire document signing process while maintaining complete integration and traceability of information. This way, users can integrate all their documents into the platform, including the signed contract and self-consumption study.

Pablo Sánchez, CEO and one of the founders of Suntropy, discusses how their company identified the need for a solution like Click & Sign, their satisfaction with the service, and the benefits it provides in terms of time savings and increased productivity.

https://youtu.be/wnrmWD0eXho

Challenge

What needs led you to seek this solution?

Following the completion of the commercial process, the companies we collaborate with, along with Suntropy's customers and users, were required to sign contracts and agreements with their respective clients manually.

Furthermore, we observed that some of our customers, especially those who are elderly and have acquired complex photovoltaic installations, encounter challenges when it comes to printing, signing, scanning, and sending documents. Therefore, we saw digital signatures as a solution that could streamline this process while helping solar energy companies digitize and have greater traceability of all bureaucratic and administrative processes.

Solution

What made our service stand out from other solutions on the market?

The team's excellent treatment was the primary factor that helped us decide to go with Lleida.net. We had an excellent experience with Click & Sign, especially considering that we're a startup taking our first steps. They made everything easy for us.

With Click & Sign's digital signature service, the time is reduced by almost 50%, as the whole process is fully automated and the sales process is streamlined.

Pablo Sanchez, CEO of Suntropy

What was most important for you when evaluating different options?

The ease of implementing the technology: We integrated this product into our solution, so we needed a system that offered good quality service and functionality and was easy to implement within our architecture and software product.

Implementation

What was the timeline for the implementation of Click & Sign at Suntropy?

It took roughly three to four weeks from the initial testing phase to the first customer using the Click & Sign service via Suntropy. This timeline included the verification of all functionalities and configurations and ensuring everything was functioning properly.

How has the solution been working for you?

Our platform facilitates users' automatic generation or completion of contracts, which are then sent to the intended recipient for electronic signature via Click & Sign. By using Click & Sign, we can seamlessly integrate all the required documents, such as the signed contract, self-consumption study, and relevant self-consumption project, into our platform.

Would you highlight any particular aspects of the Click & Sign service?

 Yes, I would highlight the robustness of the service and its ease of implementation. Agility is essential for us, especially when a new customer comes in.

Success metrics and recommendations

It's a straightforward service that delivers on its promises at a competitive price.

Pablo Sanchez, CEO of Suntropy

How are your customers reacting to this change?

Our customers have been reacting positively to this change. Despite the ongoing challenges related to digitization in the sector, many have swiftly embraced the Click & Sign solution after witnessing or testing the significant time-saving and process-streamlining benefits it provides.

How has Click & Sign improved Suntropy's competitive advantages?

Regarding Suntropy's competitive advantages, we now offer a value-added integration service, which has made our solution more complete. Thanks to Click & Sign's digital signature service, time is reduced by almost 50%, since every step of the process is fully automated.

Implementing Click & Sign was a breeze. The documentation was crystal clear, and the support team was always available to assist us with any uncertainties. In a matter of days or weeks, we could integrate the service into our product seamlessly.

Pablo Sanchez, CEO of Suntropy

In closing, would you recommend the service?

As for recommending the service, I would suggest it to tech startups that require an agile and easy-to-implement digital signature solution. Click & Sign provides great support services to users.

Conclusion

Suntropy's partnership with Click & Sign enabled Suntropy to digitize and automate the document signing process, resulting in a complete solution that saves time and streamlines sales.